Many artists follow a traditional path into the creative industry. They attend art school, build their portfolio in a formal environment, and then begin developing their work professionally. My path was a little different.
Instead of attending art school, I chose to study at business school. Watch the video or read below for a glimpse into my journey to starting my art business.
In 2012, aged eighteen, I enrolled at the University of Manchester, where I studied BSc (Hons) International Business, Finance and Economics. At the time, I didn’t know exactly what kind of business I wanted to start or what industry I would eventually work in. What I did know, however, was that I wanted to build something of my own one day.
My goal wasn’t to become an artist professionally at that stage. Instead, I wanted to understand how businesses actually worked: how companies grow, how brands are built, how products are marketed, and how financial systems operate behind the scenes.
For me, studying at Manchester Business School felt like a practical and strategic first step toward entrepreneurship. I wanted to learn the commercial foundations that allow a business to operate successfully – everything from marketing and branding to economics, finance, and accounting.
Looking back, that decision ended up shaping the entire way I approach my art today.
After completing my undergraduate degree in Manchester in 2015, I continued my academic journey with a Master’s degree at King’s College London in International Development. This broadened my understanding of global markets, economics, and the systems that influence business and innovation around the world.
The full degree title was MSc Emerging Economies and Inclusive Development – again, there was nothing artistic about this degree, but I was able to become immersed in so many topics that fascinated me related to business, globalisation and how societies and countries develop.
While living in London I also took the opportunity to attend many of the exciting networking events the capital has to offer, in order to develop my ‘soft’ professional skills and get a greater first-hand understanding of how to build a career and business.
Shortly after finishing my studies, I moved to Singapore in 2018 to gain my first experience living and working internationally.
This period turned out to be incredibly important for my professional development.
While working in Singapore, I gained hands-on experience in several commercial areas that would later become crucial in building my own venture. I worked in sales and e-commerce, and learned practical skills around marketing, branding, positioning, and online retail.
These experiences helped me understand how businesses operate in the real world rather than just in theory. I developed confidence in communicating value, presenting ideas, and understanding how digital businesses function.
Throughout the early stages of my career, painting remained an occasional fun hobby on the side. It had always been something I enjoyed since I was young. I continued painting casually in my spare time, purely as a creative outlet and personal hobby.
While I was building my commercial skills professionally in Singapore, I then had to idea to create a commercial venture of my own in the form of an online shop and business, and realised painting could be the perfect avenue for this.
It was at this point that I really began connecting the dots between my professional experience and my creative interests.
When the idea of launching my own venture began to take shape, I asked myself a simple but important question:
What am I naturally good at?
For aspiring entrepreneurs, this can be one of the most useful starting points. Rather than forcing yourself into a completely unfamiliar industry, perhaps swayed by the appeal of a lucrative opportunity or a certain image, it can be powerful to build a business around something that already comes naturally.
There’s a phrase I like:
What feels like play to you may look like work to others.
I came across this concept years ago – the premise being that pursuing something engaging and with a degree of fun at its core will enable an individual to sustain the effort, motivation and discipline to persevere through hardships to achieve their objectives over time.
For me, painting had always been exactly that. It was something I had done for enjoyment for many years without any expectation of turning it into a career.
At the same time, I had spent years developing commercial skills in areas like sales, branding, digital marketing, and e-commerce. I understood the mechanics behind building a product-based business and selling it online.
Eventually, the connection became obvious.
If I had now learned the commercial framework and developed the skillset to build an online brand, and I already had a natural creative skill in painting, then combining the two made perfect sense.
That insight became the foundation of my art business.
When I started creating my own work more seriously, I developed my signature portrait style inspired by Jackson Pollock, using expressive splatter techniques and bold compositions. (Read more about my unique painting technique here.)
My initial intention was simple: to build a small online shop where I could sell my artwork and experiment with running a creative business – while continuing to develop my commercial skills.
Because of my background in business and e-commerce, I already understood many of the structural elements needed to get started. I knew how to think about things like:
This knowledge helped me approach my art not just as a creative practice, but as the foundation for a brand.
The artwork itself effectively became the product – just the initial starting point to launch from – while my business background provided the framework that allowed it to grow.
Over time, that combination of creativity and commercial strategy helped shape the development of my art brand and allowed it to evolve into something much larger than the small online shop I originally imagined.
Looking back, choosing business school instead of art school gave me a unique perspective on building a creative career.
While many artists develop their technical skills in formal art education environments, my path focused on understanding the commercial side of building something from the ground up.
Both paths can lead to successful creative careers, but for me the business foundation turned out to be incredibly valuable.
It allowed me to approach my work not only as an artist, but also as an entrepreneur.
Art became the creative engine behind the brand, while business knowledge provided the structure that allowed it to grow.
You can explore more about my journey and see how I have built my brand and business in my dedicated blog section here.
My full range of Jackson Pollock-inspired acrylic pop art paintings can be viewed at bykerwin.com – the originals and prints of these are available to purchase, with worldwide delivery. You can also follow my art progress on Instagram and Facebook.
